It is well known that blood-borne diseases such as AIDS and hepatitis present significant risks to health-care workers administering vascular injections. Accidental needle sticks or needle pricks have become a major concern to health-care workers. The chances of needle stick increase during an emergency with several aspects required to be handled. Likewise, during disposal, an exposed needle tip may be and usually is a threat to the medical-waste handler.
To adequately protect health-care workers from inadvertent needle sticks and wounding, safety catheter assemblies have been developed to automatically cover and shield the needle tip after its withdrawal from the patient. These assemblies have taken a number of forms and have various degrees of elaboration. However, the safety mechanisms implemented in these assemblies increase costs of manufacture substantially and may malfunction, especially in a fluid-filled environment where they may stick or slip. Some of the known needle-protecting systems require multiple parts, which drives up the manufacturing cost for a disposable unit.
The cost-benefit requirements of the medical industry call for an inexpensive needle protecting system that is disposable along with the needle. Furthermore, the system must be quick and easy to use as to present as little imposition as possible to the administration and function of the safety IV catheter assembly.
Therefore, there are ongoing needs for protective systems that are simple and dependable in their deployment, inexpensive to manufacture, expedient in their operation, effective in protecting a needle tip, and that ensure correct functioning even after longer shelf life.